'We have all been left devastated by her death and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened.

They said: 'Sienna's favourite toy was a unicorn teddy, which is with her now.

'She loved singing and dancing. Her favourite singer was Leona Lewis and her favourite song was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

'She also liked Lazy Town and Barbie. Sienna would often wake up her brothers and get them to make her breakfast. She was a loving, caring, sister, daughter and granddaughter.'

The tragedy happened shortly before 9.00am yesterday morning as Miss Newton was about to take her two sons Brandon, seven and Jackson, four, to school.

As she was putting the boys in the car, Sienna ran off down the pavement just as a neighbour was reversing from her driveway.

The young girl was hit by the reversing car and fell under the wheels suffering a serious head injury in the accident.

Paramedics rushed to the house in Denton, Greater Manchester and treated the girl at the scene before taking her to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

A neighbour said: 'We believe Sienna was about to be put in the car herself with her brothers when she suddenly ran off.

'People were also just heading off to work and a neighbour was reversing her car out. Sienna just ran into the path of the Astra and the driver simply didn't see her.'

John Cunningham, 35, owner of Birchfield Fencing, opposite the cul-de-sac of smart new build homes said: 'I heard lots of screaming and a big commotion. I went out to see what was going on and there was a woman on the phone hysterical.

'She handed me the phone - I spoke to the operator and looked at the little girl and could see she was in a bad way.

'There was blood coming from her head and nose. I see her all the time - she was a lovely little girl. The family have a few kids and have only been living there about six weeks.

'They were trying to get them in the car and while they do that she runs off and a neighbour reverses off the drive and the car hits her. I think the other woman was going to work.'

Police confirmed the driver of the car was not injured, but was taken to hospital where she was treated for shock.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said a full investigation was under way into the cause of the accident.

A 10-month-old baby girl, Monica Parsons, died on Thursday after she fell into the River Thames at Goring in Oxfordshire.

She was spotted and rescued from the river by John West and his wife Sue, who were on a boating holiday.

She was thought to be dead but hospital staff later found a faint pulse and attempted to revive her though she died 12 hours later.